Most things that disrupt a business fall into a handful of recognizable categories. Knowing them is the first step to preparing for them.
Operations rarely fail in ways no one could have imagined. The large majority of business disruptions come from a recognizable set of causes — and that is good news, because what you can name, you can prepare for.
This guide walks through the common threat categories so you can see which ones apply to your business.
Most operational disruptions trace back to one of these:
Any one of these can stop revenue cold, even when nothing is permanently destroyed.
A list of threats is only useful if it drives action. For each threat that is realistic for your business, ask three questions: how likely is it, how damaging would it be, and what reduces the impact?
That simple assessment is the raw material for a continuity plan — and it shows where coverage matters most. Operations protection handles the revenue side: when a covered threat strikes, it helps replace the income lost while you recover.
Most disruptions come from physical damage, equipment breakdown, utility and power outages, supply-chain problems, loss of access to premises, loss of a key person, or cyber incidents.
Supply-chain disruption is when a key supplier or vendor fails to deliver what your business depends on. It can halt your operations even though nothing at your own location has gone wrong.
Yes. When a business depends on a specific machine or system, its breakdown can halt operations and revenue until it is repaired or replaced — which is why critical equipment deserves special attention in a continuity plan.
Review the common threat categories against how your business actually operates, then assess each realistic threat for how likely it is and how damaging it would be. That assessment guides your continuity plan and your coverage.
Move from knowing the threats to managing them:
